Neuroenology How the Brain Creates the Taste of Wine

In his new book, Gordon M. Shepherd expands on the startling discovery that the brain creates the taste of wine. This approach to understanding wine's sensory experience draws on findings in neuroscience, biomechanics, human physiology, and traditional enology. Shepherd shows, just as he did in Neurogastronomy: How the Brain Creates Flavor and Why It Matters, that creating the taste of wine engages more of the brain than does any other human behavior. He clearly illustrates the scientific underpinnings of this process, along the way enhancing our enjoyment of wine.

Neuroenology is the first book on wine tasting by a neuroscientist. It begins with the movements of wine through the mouth and then consults recent research to explain the function of retronasal smell and its extraordinary power in creating wine taste. Shepherd comprehensively explains how the specific sensory pathways in the cerebral cortex create the memory of wine and how language is used to identify and imprint wine characteristics. Intended for a broad audience of readers—from amateur wine drinkers to sommeliers, from casual foodies to seasoned chefs—Neuroenology shows how the emotion of pleasure is the final judge of the wine experience. It includes practical tips for a scientifically informed wine tasting and closes with a delightful account of Shepherd's experience tasting classic Bordeaux vintages with French winemaker Jean-Claude Berrouet of the Chateau Petrus and Dominus Estate.

Preface
Introduction: A New Approach to Wine Tasting

Part I. Fluid Dynamics of Wine Tasting
. 1. Sip and Saliva
. 2. The Tongue: Moving the Wine
. 3. Respiration and Wine Aromas
. 4. The Pathway for Retronasal Airflow
. 5. Swallow, Aroma Burst, and Finish

Part II. How Sensory Systems Create the Taste of Wine
. 6. Sight: Creating the Color of Wine
. 7. Orthonasal Smell: Wine Molecules Meet Smell Receptors
. 8. Orthonasal Smell: Creating a Wine Aroma Image
. 9. Orthonasal Smell: From Odor Image to Aroma Perception
. 10. Touch and the Mouthfeel of Wine
. 11. Taste Modalities and Wine Tasting
. 12. Creating Taste Perception
. 13. Retronasal Smell: The Hidden Force in Wine Tasting
. 14. Retronasal Smell: What Is So Special?
. 15. Retronasal Smell: Creating the Multisensory Wine Flavor

Part III. How Central Brain Systems Create the Pleasure of the Taste of Wine
. 16. Wine Tasting, Gender, and Aging
. 17. Memory and Wine Tasting
. 18. The Language of Wine Tasting
. 19. Pleasure: The Final Judge in Wine Tasting
. 20. Practical Applications of Neuroenology to the Pleasure of Wine Tasting

Appendix. A Wine-Tasting Tutorial with Jean-Claude Berrouet
Bibliography
Index

Gordon M. Shepherd is professor of neuroscience at the Yale School of Medicine and former editor in chief of the Journal of Neuroscience.